Reader Survey 2017: Best Vegetarian Restaurant in Portland

Vegetarian food in Portland – up and coming

I’ve noticed an interesting trend in the Best Vegetarian Restaurant in Portland category. In 2011 428 votes were cast, in 2012 450 votes, in 2013, 560 votes, in 2015 878, and for this year 902 votes were counted. I’m not sure if this means people are trying to eat a healthier diet, or if Portland vegetarian restaurants have stepped up their game. The number of votes each restaurant received is diluted, with the total votes of each restaurant a bit lower than in the past. This is a good thing, as it would indicate that other restaurants are getting better.

Farm Spirit is probably the most serious of the vegetarian/vegan restaurants in this list. It stepped up and replaced the void when the much loved Natural Selection closed and won the top place on this list by a significant margin. They call their cuisine “Cascadian”, sourcing everything locally from Oregon and southern Washington. The menus are are eight courses plus snacks, with the current price ranging from $65 – $85 per person.

As Paul Gerald of Breakfast in Bridgetown fame wrote in his review in 2007 “live means “raw,” and many of the selections, including two on the breakfast menu, are raw.” I’m still a bit confused, but would probably order the Live Nachos, just because it has “nachos” in the name. Along with a somewhat standard vegetarian brunch menu with a Benedict, scramble and biscuits & gravy, the lunch and dinner selection offers larger plates such as pasta primavera, tacos, masala curry and even a vegetarian bibimbap. Each item is clearly marked vegan, vegetarian, gluten free etc. They also have a bakery with cakes, pies, cookies and “raw cheesecakes”. I’m so confused.

While Prasad has a fairly basic menu with a focus on smoothies and fancy juice combinations, Harlow is more like a traditional vegetarian restaurant.

They also offer the “Mighty Bowl” mentioned above. Extra karma points! According to the website, the entire menu is gluten-free. Here are a few of the dinner options: Butternut Squash and Sage Penne – gluten-free penne pasta tossed in a rich butternut squash cream with smoky tomatoes, spinach & carrots, topped with fried sage & almond parmesan. Marrakesh plate – black lentil & vegetable Moroccan stew served over herbed polenta cakes and steamed kale, topped with tamarind date chutney, fresh mint & cilantro. Both sound good to me. They also have the requisite vegetarian bowls along with salads and whatnot.

Veggie Grill is a large chain spanning many states, but that didn’t stop it from coming in at number four on this list. The menu is completely vegetarian, no saturated fats, no meat, dairy, eggs. They have an enormous selection of items to pick from, it’s all over the place. Those of you who need something to wash it down beware, no alcohol.

Go here for a menu that covers Indian and Middle-Eastern “inspired” vegan food. Loosely inspired I would say, but interesting and pretty good. I go here now and then and have enjoyed my meals. Beware – the hot sauce actually is.

Vita Cafe has been dishing up vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free fare since 1999. According to their website, they “choose to use local and organic products as much as possible” along with a focus on “sustainable business practices”. They specialize in large servings of comfort food: Vegan Nachos – tortilla chips topped with beans, brown rice, black olives, salsa, guacamole, vegan cheese sauce and vegan sour cream. Greek Salad – greens with crumbled feta cheese, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and olives with basil vinaigrette. Three Bean Vegan Chili served with a corn muffin. Carnivores and pescatarians will find four different hamburgers including a spicy salmon.

Sweetpea Baking specializes in baked goods, custom cakes, donuts, cronuts and more. You’ll also find a cafe breakfast menu with everything from an oatmeal bowl to biscuits and gravy. The lunch menu consists of a few salads, soup of the day, and a large selection of sandwiches.

Back To Eden started as a dessert bar, added a 40 seat cafe next door, and now a food cart on Division Street. All of the food served and the kitchen it is prepared in is completely free of gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, and meat.

Reader Interactions

2 comments:

I, generally speaking, have zero interest in restaurants that don’t serve meat or seafood, but I can vouch for the drinks at Sweet Hereafter. I actually went there for drinks on a number of occasions before even realizing the menu was vegetarian.

Indeed, Sweet Hereafter has wonderful drinks. My vegetarian friends took me there – we always hang out in their favorite places despite me being a meat eater. I was glad that they actually took me to a good place for drinking, since i don’t stomach much vegetarian food.Most people actually say that they found it a surprisingly good place just like me.https://restaurantguru.com/Sweet-Hereafter-Portland I also know The Sudra, though that place wasn’t as pleasant as Sweet Hereafter. I’m not a big fan of vegan Indian, but they rock a mean peacock salad. it helped that the staff there knew my firends, and it was a very cordial exerience.https://restaurantguru.com/The-Sudra-Portland-2 I guess in time we’ll discover all the places in the list. i may even tell my friends about some and we’ll check them out. I just need to chew me some bacon beforehand because I won’t get any in those restaurants.